A TRIUMPHAL PROGRESS.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15502, 1 February 1916, Page 8

A TRIUMPHAL PROGRESS.

THE WILLOCHRA'S MEN. .NORTH ISLANiDERS GO NTORTH. ■ Over-fed. not fed r up, was the 6tate of tho North Island portion of tho returned soldiers by the AVillochra when they arrived in Ohristchurch last evening from Dnnedin en route to Lyttelton to catch the ferry steamer for tho North. At every station the express stopped there were crowds of people pressing gifts of fruit and cake and sandwiches \y>on the happy warriors, until in the vernacular of one, they were -full to the brim and could not hold more/' and still tho stocks showed little signs of diminishing. And then upon arrival at Christchurch a further feast awaited them in the shape of cakes and sandwiches and bananas and bottles of lemonade. The Lady Liverpool depot received a telegram from Dunedin at 3 o'clock to provide a repast for the troops, and though the time was short, under the direction of the Mayoress (Mrs H. Holland) the ladies set to with a will witn. the result that 120 bags of sandwiches, cakes, and bananas were prepared, with a bottle of lemonade for each man. Even if the majority of the men "were so full to the brim," as to be unable to tackle the more solid fare, they were thankful enough to quench their thirst with the cooling lemonade. They asked a "Press" reporter to express on their behalf their deepest appreciation of the kind treatment they had received. _ Altogether. 107 officers and men. and o nurses, came up on the second express. The whole were in charge of Major McNaught l of the Headquarters Staff, and other officers were Major Holmes, N.Z.M.C., "Ca,pt. Bolton, who returned to New Zealand in charge of the men in the "Willochra, and Lieut. Tomlin. Fifty-nine of all ranks were returning to the Wellington military district, and 47 to the Auckland. The remainder were returning to Nelson, with the exception of Sergeant H. J. Francis, of Christchurch. There were no cot cases aboard, though five temporary cot patients were sent up in an ambulance car attached to the first express. They were: Sergeant V. C. Savage, and Privates Tevissack Radford, 3letcalf, and Wells. None of the men on the second express showed manifest signs of injury, and there was not a bandage to be seen. Though many of them had left New Zealand with the Main Expeditionary Force, and been under fire for many months, j they had escaped the shot and shell, but finally fallen victims t© what was termed typhoid in Egypt, but enteric out here. It was stated that an epidemic of typhoid broke out about last October, and though the great majority of the soldiers had prayed to bo allowed to stay, the doctors were and ordered them to return to New Zealand on the ground that they would make far more rapid orogreas towards recovery in our cotder climate than under the tropical conditions of Egypt. Captain Bolton, however, informed a "Press" reporter that he understood that fully 150 men who came out in the Willochra besides himself, would return in the vessel to Egypt when she was refitted, it being anticipated that tho trip to New Zealand, the resultant rest in the Dominion, and the time spent on the trip back, would restore the men to their proper health. A splendid passage was made by the Willochra to New Zealand, the health of all was excellent, and the men all speak in grateful terms of the splendid treatment accorded them by the people of Colombo and Albany. " • . The nurses who came North yesterday by the second express were: Sisters Sinclair (Auckland) Hooker (Wellington), Whitta, (Wairarapa), Philpott, Hobbs, and Keith (Rotorua), whilst Sister Jessop travelled in the first express. Sisters Sinclair and Hooker were in the Marquette disaster, but they prefer not to 6peak about it. They state they are in fairly good health again, and hope to be returning' to the scene of their former activities very shortly. All of the sisters will be returning to Egypt ere long. They spoke in very high terms to the pressman concerning their treatment by the ship's officers and 'by the invalided officers and men. Captain Bolton left for the front with the Second Reinforcements, prior to which he was in charge of the Post and Telegraph Corps, Wellington. He is down with enteric, and is going up to" Auckland for treatment. Sergeant H. J. Francis is of the opinion that he was born under an unlucky star. When the Main Expeditionary Force was raised he joined the Canterbury Mounted Rifles, and was posted to the Headquarters' Staff. An attack of appendicitis saw his removal to a nursing home. Recovering from the operation he rejoined his regiment shortly before it left Sockburn camp, but his strength was undermined, and he was unable to leave. Some months elapsed before he recovered his normal health, and then he joined the Sixth Reinforcements, Canterbury Mounteds. After two months, however, in Egypt, he fell a, victim to enteric and was invalided home, without securing a glimpse of the battle-j front. He is, however, in strong hopes of getting there yet. The men who returned yesterday expressed strong dissatisfaction with the promotions question, particularly the placing of untried youths over them as officers when they returned to i tho front. One man who had been in the fighting at Gallipoli right from the beginning almost, stated that he had held a commission fifteen years ago, but he had enlisted as a trooper in order to get away with the Main Expeditionary Force. He did not, however, see the fairness of his having to leave New Zealand again in a Reinforcement draft under the charge of a newly-fledged stripling whilst ne was prevented from applying for the return of his commission.